Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao-Chapter 172 - 069: Out of the Underground

The square-shaped heavy black iron block, which outwardly appeared to be ordinary black iron, felt incredibly heavy in the hand. Even with Zhou Yan’s formidable physical strength, his palm sunk slightly when he took hold of the object.

Yet, as his hand sank slightly, he deftly concealed the tremendous surge of excitement that sprang up in his soul at that moment.

He did not hide the instant surprise in his eyes because, indeed, the surprise could be perfectly masked by the heavy gravitational force of the black iron.

At this time, Jia Yongheng, the Eternal Spirit, had already departed, but Zhou Yan did not relax in the slightest. That person was very cautious, and Zhou Yan could not be sure whether the other party would return or not.

Zhou Yan held the square-shaped block of black iron in his hand, sensing it carefully. With his perception, he could almost ascertain that this thing was something extremely valuable.

However, it was not convenient for him to show too much at the moment.

After encountering Ji TaiXu, Zhou Yan actually knew in his heart that the gap between himself and these people was truly substantial.

If it were not for a certain resistance ability of the Purple Flame Lotus Seed, Zhou Yan believed that he would have been slain by Ji TaiXu on the ancient altar.

The Sword Soul of Ji TaiXu, even now, Zhou Yan did not feel that he had the strength to withstand it.

As for that giant finger engulfed by flames... The reason behind that scene was beyond Zhou Yan’s conjecture, but the giant finger was clearly burnt to ashes by the flames.

Therefore, having acquired the black iron and feeling the increasing peril of this place, Zhou Yan quietly reined in his frivolous demeanor.

He held the black iron, turned his head to look at Mo Yuchou once, and said, "Rain Sorrow Immortal, I appreciate your concern over this matter."

Hearing Zhou Yan’s words, Mo Yuchou’s beautiful eyes flashed with a hint of panic and delight. She lifted her head, her gaze landing directly on Zhou Yan’s face.

"Zhou Lingzhe, are you planning to leave this place now?"

"Yes. This place... is beyond my control. It can be determined that there are nameless and terrible dangers underground. So, it’s better to step aside."

Zhou Yan answered earnestly.

He had the ability to carry out Artifact Refining, Alchemy, and even had research into Ancient Arrays.

Inside his body, there was also the Purple Flame Void Purple Flame Lotus, alongside a great number of ancient Sword Intent Crystal Stones. Therefore, Zhou Yan didn’t really care about these treasures that were not yet within his grasp.

"Don’t you want to try your luck? The Heavenly Mechanism Soul Stone is an extremely valuable thing. If you can comprehend even a thread of Heavenly Mechanism from it, you could truly receive a fortunate opportunity and soar to the heavens."

It seemed Mo Yuchou felt some regret about Zhou Yan’s decision.

"Under the premise that one must be alive to take advantage of it."

Zhou Yan smiled faintly, appearing to have completely let go of all concerns.

He did not further explain, but simply nodded to Wang Ze, who was next to Mo Yuchou, and then led Pan Yuming and others to walk to the other side of this underground space.

Seeing that Zhou Yan was greeting him, Wang Ze did not dare to take it lightly and respectfully returned the gesture. He then glanced at Mo Yuchou and said softly, "Although Jia Yongheng played us, Zhou Lingzhe is right. I also feel insecure about this place, especially after Sacrificial Heaven Ancient City. I always feel that something terrible will happen. It’s better to give up.

Let’s leave as well."

"Yes!"

Mo Yuchou did not hesitate, because Wang Ze’s feeling was actually her own as well; it was only her overconfidence in Zhou Yan that made her think he might be able to obtain something from this place.

Now that Zhou Yan had departed, she naturally had no more desire to stay here. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

"Then, let’s return to the City of No Tears together. This trip was just to try our luck. I didn’t expect to encounter Zhou Yan Spirit here."

Wang Ze moved beside Mo Yuchou and, walking alongside her, began to speak.

"Yes, this person is already showing the signs of becoming a dominant force. I once thought that everything about him was just exaggeration, not real.

But unexpectedly, the rumors about him turned out to be an understatement compared to the man himself."

Mo Yuchou sighed.

"Indeed, I initially thought so too, and even felt that Holy Daughter Jiang Yuning’s fondness for him was a mistaken decision, but now... heh, let’s just wait and watch.

The marriage events of Holy Daughter Jiang Yuning a year from now are bound to be interesting."

Wang Ze chuckled.

"As for that... sigh, I hope ’she’ will show up by then, or else..."

Mo Yuchou didn’t show any expectation but instead, when Wang Ze brought up the matter, her face took on a shade of worry.

This expression made Wang Ze frown and then, seemingly recalling something, his face also became extremely solemn as if this was an extremely troublesome big issue.

...

"Young Master, is that Jia Yongheng really as powerful as having Three Souls and Seven Spirits? But why have I never heard of such a person before?"

Beside Zhou Yan, Pan Yuming was a little puzzled.

As a member of the Li Family’s intelligence department, not knowing this was a dereliction of duty.

"You don’t know because your strength has yet to grant you entry into that circle!"

Zhou Yan did not answer; instead, Zhou Gucheng simply looked coldly at Pan Yuming and spoke in a rather unfriendly tone.

For those from the Li Family, Zhou Gucheng had no fondness, with the exception, of course, of Li Qimeng.

"You—"

Pan Yuming was somewhat annoyed, giving Zhou Gucheng a deep look – had this been outside, with his ability he would have shown this ignorant youth a lesson, but in this place, he could only bear it.

Admittedly, he was utterly loyal to Zhou Yan, bowing and scraping, but towards the other members of the Zhou Family, he naturally reverted to his proud nature.

"Zhou Gucheng is right. One must have the strength to be worthy of associating with certain people.

This Jia Yongheng is unfathomably powerful and, for the time being, bears no ill will towards us. Therefore, knowing when to advance or retreat is vital. Should we be dissatisfied, we can always seek retribution once we grow stronger in our cultivation."

Zhou Yan continued without stopping or looking back, but he still spoke up for Zhou Gucheng. After all, what Zhou Gucheng said was unpleasant, but realistic.

Moreover, Zhou Yan knew that all of this was simply reality.

Pan Yuming took a deep breath, his momentary frustration suddenly vanishing.

Zhou Yan’s words were correct; without sufficient strength, one’s knowledge is limited. The people one meets will inevitably have limited powers – this too was a fact.

Besides, Pan Yuming had come to a realization: Zhou Gucheng, too, was extremely talented and grew up alongside the young lord Zhou Yan, naturally, they shared a bond.

And as for themselves, from the Li Family, their past actions had indeed been excessive...

With these thoughts, any ounce of pride in Pan Yuming’s heart completely dissolved.

He thought to himself that having sworn fealty to Zhou Yan, Zhou Yan’s relatives were now his own. If he still carried himself with an air of superiority towards those close to Zhou Yan, even if he performed well, he feared he would not catch Zhou Yan’s eye.

Having realized all this, it seemed as if he suddenly understood some profound Tao, faintly refining his own realm by a bit.

It seemed that this sudden enlightenment would significantly enhance his future achievements!

"Zhou Gucheng, thank you for your previous explanation. As the young lord’s servant, from now on, I will certainly fulfill my responsibilities."

After reflecting, Pan Yuming immediately showed his sincerity.

"Mm, Brother Pan, there is no need for such formalities. We all serve the young lord, and that is all that matters."

Zhou Gucheng nodded, his tone softening slightly.

For someone with his reclusive nature, this was already a significant concession.

...

As Zhou Yan continued on his way, seeing that the two had finally shed their hostility, his mood settled quite a bit.

Free from the shackles of the spirit, Zhou Yan felt the structure of heaven and earth here, all the while sensing the unknown dangers, avoiding places reeking of peril on this ancient underground path, and finally, he led everyone out of this gloomy subterranean void.

Emerging from underground, a wave of fresh air clearly greeted their faces.

Ahead lay a lush expanse of emerald forest, where towering ancient trees and the sounds of various birds and animals occasionally rose.

It was a feeling akin to reemergence, impacting everyone’s body and mind.

Now that they had left the oppressive underground environment, even Zhou Yan couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.

"Young lord, we have finally come out."

Li Qimeng, having fully recovered, was like a sprightly fairy, conveying an indescribable attachment to Zhou Yan, though she did not show it.

Yet she spoke with a cheerful tone.

"Yes, we are finally out. I thought I would never have the chance to be in this world again, but I didn’t expect to have the opportunity to leave that perilous underground."

Zhou Qianqian couldn’t help but sigh.

Along the way, they had seen far too many dangers, witnessed the bones of many genius cultivators; now that they had left that dark place, looking back, they lacked the courage to traverse it a second time.

"The Sacrificial Heaven Ancient City in the Ancient Tomb Mountain has decayed, the Ancient Arrays are all destroyed, and the City of No Tears stands alone, no longer a mythical place beyond reach.

Anyone can enter, as long as they do not fear death or worry about being killed by the Ancient Arrays.

The Nine Origin Reincarnation... Who knows when it will open, so... this time, I suggest you all return to your clans for arduous seclusion and to reflect on this period of experience."

Zhou Yan’s gaze was fixed on the distance, his heart seemingly in tune with everything of the Ancient Tomb Mountain.

"Young lord, what about you?"

Zhou Gucheng couldn’t help but ask.

"Me? After I deal with the matters here, I also need to visit our family. Then, I’ll head to the Li Family in Cangyan Prefecture to retrieve everything that belonged to my mother.

And, this time, I also don’t know what might have happened to my father, so I want to venture out and find some information about him."

Zhou Yan shared his plans.

At that moment, Zhou Gucheng and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.